$2.5 Million Award Prepares Students for Technology Careers

Posted: Wednesday, October 03, 2012 at 9:15 AM

Article by: Joe Clark, clarkjx@pgcc.edu

LARGO, Md.— Prince George's Community College has been selected by the Maryland Higher Education Commission to receive $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program to develop the Information Technology Education & Career Pathways (INsTEP) noncredit program. INsTEP will partner with employers to create accelerated training in computer technology, networking and cybersecurity for unemployed workers including veterans, displaced and disadvantaged citizens and victims of foreign outsourcing.

“Prince George’s Community College is committed to developing a well-trained workforce to meet the needs of the county, state and region,” said Charlene M. Dukes, president of Prince George’s Community College. “The grant will provide instruction for in-demand technology fields that allow unemployed workers to develop the skills they need to expeditiously re-enter the workforce, and it can serve as a model for replication” she added.

The grant allows the college to incorporate virtual instruction, interactive simulations, online and real-world problem-solving challenges and collaborations between learners and instructors. It also will establish transfer and articulation agreements with other community colleges and four-year institutions in Maryland to enable students who complete the program to continue their education and training.

Prince George’s Community College is a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Two-year Education designated by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security (2010-2015). Established in 1958, Prince George’s Community College provides transfer and career programs that help students transfer to four-year colleges and universities and prepare them for the workforce. Each year, 40,000 students take part in more than 200 academic programs and workforce development and continuing education courses. Located in Largo, Maryland, Prince George’s Community College has additional sites at Joint Base Andrews, University Town Center in Hyattsville, Laurel College Center, Skilled Trades Center in Camp Springs, and Westphalia Training Center in Upper Marlboro. For more information, visit the college website at www.pgcc.edu, follow on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn and tune-in to Transforming Lives at Prince George’s Community College, Mondays at 11 a.m.